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Interview with Norman R. Davidson

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Interview with Norman R. Davidson NORMAN R. DAVIDSON (1916-2002) INTERVIEWED BY HEIDI ASPATURIAN August 17 and 19, September 3, 1987 ARCHIVES CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Pasadena, California Subject area Chemistry, chemical biology Abstract An interview in three sessions, August and September 1987, with Norman R. Davidson, Chandler Professor of Chemical Biology, emeritus, in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He received his BS (1937) and PhD (1941) from the University of Chicago and a BSc from the University of Oxford (1938). He came to Caltech as an instructor in 1946, becoming a full professor in 1957 and Chandler Professor in 1982. He recalls growing up in Hyde Park, Chicago; his years at the university; his Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. Discusses his wartime work: with Anton Burg at USC; recruitment by Harold Urey for uranium isotope separation at Columbia; stint at University of Chicago’s Metallurgical Laboratory on the plutonium project under Glenn Seaborg. Postwar move to RCA Labs, Princeton, working on electron microscopy with James Hillier. Recalls the chemistry division, Linus Pauling, and Robert A. Millikan, among others, during his early years at Caltech. His interest in organometallic chemistry, gas-phase reaction mechanisms, formation of complex ions in solution. Recalls http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Davidson_N serving on the Freshman Admissions Committee; designing flash-lamp photodissociation apparatus; work on dissociation by shock tubes with grad student Tucker Carrington. Growing interest in molecular biology; attending 1958 NIH biophysics conference, Boulder, CO; the evolution of chemical biology. Discusses work of 1968 presidential search committee and Harold Brown’s selection; advocacy of an enriched humanities curriculum; his support for proposed affiliation with Immaculate Heart College. Recalls three of his outstanding postdocs/graduate students: James C. Wang, Phillip A. Sharp, Ronald W. Davis. Offers his views on Linus Pauling in an appendix. Administrative information Access The interview is unrestricted. Copyright Copyright has been assigned to the California Institute of Technology © 1992, 2012. All requests for permission to publish or quote from the transcript must be submitted in writing to the Head, Archives and Special Collections. Preferred citation Davidson, Norman R. Interview by Heidi Aspaturian. Pasadena, California, August 17, and 19, September 3, 1987. Oral History Project, California Institute of Technology Archives. Retrieved [supply date of retrieval] from the World Wide Web: http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Davidson_N Contact information Archives, California Institute of Technology Mail Code 015A-74 Pasadena, CA 91125 Phone: (626)395-2704 Fax: (626)395-4073 Email: [email protected] Graphics and content © 2012 California Institute of Technology. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Davidson_N CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ARCHIVES ORAL HISTORY PROJECT INTERVIEW WITH NORMAN R. DAVIDSON BY HEIDI ASPATURIAN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA Copyright © 1992, 2012 by the California Institute of Technology http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Davidson_N Davidson–ii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEW WITH NORMAN R. DAVIDSON Session 1 1-8 Remarks on his current research. Family background; Eastern European Jewish antecedents. Growing up in Hyde Park, Chicago; education at Hyde Park High School. Matriculates at the University of Chicago, 1933; initial interest in biology; broad curriculum; decision to pursue chemistry influenced by classes with J. Stieglitz and F. Westheimer. H. I. Schlesinger and inorganic chemistry. Rhodes Scholar, Oxford, 1937: C. N. Hinshelwood, R. P. Bell, tutor L. Sutton, N. V. Sidgwick. Molecular structure and quantum mechanical ideas introduced into chemistry. Begins experimental research. England on eve of World War II. Returns to University of Chicago, September 1939, as graduate student. 8-12 Recollections of H. C. Brown; receives PhD, 1941. War-related research for 6 months with A. Burg at USC; first contacts with Caltech: J. Wiggins, L. Pauling, V. Schomaker, E. Eyster, N. Wilson. University of Michigan with L. Brockway. Recruited by H. Urey for uranium isotope separation at Columbia; works with A. L. Turkevich, N. C. Metropolis, E. Long, W. Libby. June 1942, teaches at Illinois Institute of Technology/ Lewis Institute. Marries; lives in Hyde Park section of Chicago. 12-16 To University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, under G. T. Seaborg; project to extract plutonium from spent uranium of E. Fermi’s pile. Works under S. Thompson, with S. Fried; W. H. Zachiariasen. Recollections of project personnel: Seaborg, C. Coryell, J. J. Katz. Initial unawareness of dangers of plutonium. Electron microscopy at RCA Labs, Princeton, with J. Hillier. Accepts Pauling’s offer of instructorship at Caltech; moves to California (1946). Session 2 17-21 Reminiscence of L. Pauling (see also Appendix). Early teaching problems; tenure review. Early inorganic chemistry research: organometallic chemistry, gas-phase reaction mechanisms, formation of complex ions in solution. Student H. McConnell and Prof. J. Kirkwood. Work in mercury complexes later applied to DNA methodology. Interest in fast reactions and isolation of free radicals; grad student J. H. Sullivan. 21-27 Caltech atmosphere; Athenaeum lunches; contrast with present environment. Recollections of R. A. Millikan. Service on Freshman Admissions Committee; L. W. Jones, dean of admissions. “Jewish quota” voiced by F. C. Lindvall. Millikan’s and T. H. Morgan’s alleged anti-Semitism. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Davidson_N Davidson–iii Millikan’s salary policy. Research aided by Kellogg Radiation Laboratory’s nuclear physicists, C. C. Lauritsen, W. A. Fowler, etc., and undergraduate B. Larsh. Designs flash-lamp photodissociation apparatus with hydrodynamics section chief H. Shapiro and funds from Office of Naval Research. Measurements of photodissociation rates; G. Porter, M. Eigen, and R G. W. Norrish awarded Nobel for similar work. 27-36 Work on dissociation by shock tubes, with grad student T. Carrington. First successful spectroscopic study of methyl radical by G. Herzberg and D. Ramsay. Elected to National Academy of Sciences (1960). Growing interest in applying chemistry to new field of molecular biology. R. Dulbecco; M. Delbrück and his protégés; visiting professor F. Schmitt. NIH biophysics conference, Boulder, CO, summer 1958: L. Szilard, M. Meselson, C. Townes, B. Zimm, B. Katz. Decides to change fields, like M. Delbrück and S. Benzer. Application of physical chemistry techniques to study DNA. Research group: T. Yamane, D. Wulff, W. F. Dove, R. F. Stewart. Bout with cancer. J. Vinograd and Meselson; the Meselson-Stahl experiment. Vinograd’s career in chemistry division; his eventual tenure. Session 3 37-47 Chairs Caltech faculty (1968). Appointed to 1968 presidential search committee; events leading to H. Brown’s selection (1969) as Caltech president. Discussions re Caltech’s becoming a broader-based institution; conservatism of engineering division; his advocacy of an enriched humanities curriculum. Proposed affiliation with Immaculate Heart College in 1969: his support; opposition of senior biology faculty. Reaction of his colleagues to his career switch; chemical biology’s evolution; three outstanding postdocs/graduate students: J. C. Wang, P. A. Sharp, R. W. Davis. Caltech’s chemical biologists: J. L. Campbell, C. Parker, J. H. Richards, P. Dervan, and to a lesser extent S. Chan and H. Gray. Need to redevelop strength in structural chemistry. Appendix: Norman Davidson’s Reflections on Linus Pauling. 48-51 http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Davidson_N CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ARCHIVES ORAL HISTORY PROJECT Interview with Norman R. Davidson by Heidi Aspaturian Pasadena, California Session 1 August 17, 1987 Session 2 August 19, 1987 Session 3 September 3, 1987 Begin Tape 1, Side 1 DAVIDSON: Before you start asking your questions, I’d like to say two things that I’ve thought of, which I’d like to have in the record for my sake and for my future use of these transcripts. I’ve thought quite frequently that as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, when I die the academy will follow its custom of getting some unfortunate soul to write a biographical memoir, which I regard as a major imposition on that person. I’ve often thought that when I did have time, I would like to write my own biographical memoir, so that all somebody would have to do would be to edit it down to an acceptable length—it will probably be too long. So I appreciate this opportunity to get things sort of sorted out, partially, for this purpose. One other thought I’ve had is that I’m far from really retired at present, because even though I’m emeritus I’m engaged very, very actively in a research program as a co-principal investigator with Henry Lester [Bren Professor of Biology] on the molecular biology of certain kinds of genes in the nervous system. So I really wish this was all happening four or five years from now, when hopefully I wouldn’t be doing anything else. But as I’ve tried to think back to recall various things, I realize they’re slipping away, and so it’s probably better we try to do it now. ASPATURIAN: Tell me a little bit about your family background and the circumstances in which you grew up. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Davidson_N Davidson–2 DAVIDSON: My father was a Russian Jew who came to this country in the late nineteenth century—I don’t know exactly when—because he said he wanted to escape from the rabbinical atmosphere in the village where he lived, which was somewhere in the Kiev area, but I don’t know exactly where. We never had any knowledge of his family background. ASPATURIAN: He emigrated alone? No family? DAVIDSON: He emigrated alone. ASPATURIAN: Your mother was born here? DAVIDSON: My mother was from a large Lithuanian Jewish family, centered around Philadelphia. She was born here, the second generation. Her parents came, and that was a large family. My father came over at something like sixteen or eighteen. With regard to his profession, I recall several things about him. One was, he said that he was really quite good as an insurance salesman.
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